It is vital to winterize your home in the fall before extreme cold weather arrives. We all tend to live crazy busy lives these days, so if we break down winterizing the home into small manageable components, it’s less overwhelming and so very doable. One little component, all too often overlooked, is the outdoor faucet.
The outdoor faucet is basically the exterior faucet that you hook your garden hose up to in the spring and summer. Some homes only have one, while others might have several.
Outdoor Faucet Protector
Simply remove the garden hose. Drain the hose and outdoor faucet. Put the hose into storage. Secure a faucet protector to keep the cold icy air out of your outdoor faucet that leads to your other pipes. A faucet protector costs no more than $10, depending upon the brand you choose.
Why? A little bit of frozen water in any pipe can lead to burst pipes elsewhere in the home and that spells disaster. A very expensive disaster. With outdoor faucets being, well, on the outside, they are more susceptible to freezing temperatures. It can lead to frozen pipes in the basement, then a burst and next thing you know, you are calling on a contractor to pump water out of your basement. It’s avoidable!
Rest assured, you are one step closer to winterizing your home.
Stay tuned for more bite size tips. While you are waiting, learn about how to Prepare for the Heating Season.